Heater



H. LANGE ri 3U, H946,

HEATER Filed Jan. 12, 1942 2 Sheets-Shree? l H. LANGE pril 3@ R946. l

HEATER Filed Jan. l2, 1942 2 Sheets-Shee. 2

Patented Apr. 30, 1946 ange HEATER Henry Lange, Quincy, Ill., assignerto The Quincy Stove Manufacturing Company, Quincy, Ill., a corporationof Illinois Application January 12, 1942, Serial No. 426,398

2 Claims. (Cl. 126-73) This invention relates in general to stoves, andmore particularly to improvements in radiant heaters.

A principal object of the invention is the provision of a heater ofsimplified construction having a iirepot of materially greater depththan has been employed heretofore to increase the fuel capacity of theheater, and which includes means for uniformly supplying primary airthroughout the entire outer area of the repot, and separate means forsupplying preheated secondary air around the upper peripheral portion ofthe firepot, in quantities proportional to the amount of primary airsupplied, for effecting complete combustion of the gases emanating fromthe fuel, whereby the efficiency of the heater is greatly increased.

Another object of the invention is the provision in such a heater of asingle adjustable member for controlling the total amount of air to bemade available to the primary and secondary air supply means, wherebythe ratio between the primary air and the secondary air supplied to theflrepot will remain constant at all times to insure eflicient combustionunder all conditions of operation of the heater. 4

A further object of the invention is to provide a heater in which therate of combustion may be varied through an unusually wide range toenable any heating demand made thereon to be effectively met by virtureof the aforesaid single adjustable control member and the novel primaryand secondary air supply means.

Another object of the invention is to provide a novel repot constructionin such a heater comprising aplurality of interchangeable, verticallydisposed sections or staves which so interlock as v to eliminate thenecessity of cementing the same together, while permitting relativemovement due to expansion and contraction, and which may be used foriirepots of different diameters.

A further object of the invention is the provision in such a heater of anovel grate structure which is mounted on ball-bearings to facilitateoscillation in a horizontal plane and includes a central portion movablehorizontally relative to thelmain part of the grate to effect a dumpingaction.

In the drawings,

Figure 1 is a, vertical sectional view of a radiant heater embodying thefeatures of the instant invention:

Fig. 2 is a horizontal section of the heater of Fig. 1 taken through theiirepot;

Fig. '3 is a perspective view of one of the repot sections or staves,with the central portion thereof broken away;

Fig. 4 is a detail horizontal sectional view taken through a portion ofthe flrepot adjacent the grate structure; and

Fig. 5 is a detail plan view of two of the firepot sections or stavesmounted in cooperating relationship.

Referring more particularly to the drawings, the lower part of thepreferred embodiment of the radiant heater disclosed therein comprisesan ash-pit of any suitable construction which is illustrated as beingmade up of a cylindrical member or drum I I having an inwardly extendingcircumferential flange I2 formed at the lower end thereof to which aplate I3 is secured to close the bottom of the ash-pit. The heater issupported by means of a plurality of leg members Iii which may beattached in any desired manner to the ash-pit drum I I. At the frontend, the drum II is provided with an aperture I5 (Fig. 1) which isadapted to be closed by a door I6 hingedly secured in any suitablemanner to the drum. The door IIS is provided with apertures Il which maybe entirely closed or opened to any desired degree by means of anadjustable winged closure member or draft plate I8 pivotally mountedupon the door. A flange I9 (Fig. 1) is formed integrally with the drumII and is disposed interiorly of the drum adjacent the upper endthereof. At circumierentially spaced points adjacent the legs I4,inwardly extending lugs 2I areprovided, for a purpose to be describedhereafter, which are also formed integrally with the drum I I and aredisposed below or as an extension of the ange I9.

The grate structure of the instant heater comprises an annular, inwardlysloping ring member 22 (Figs. 1, Zand 4), a main grate member 23 mountedthereon for oscillation in a horizontal plane, and an apertured slide ordump plate 2li mounted below the grate member 23 for horizontal slidingmovement relative thereto. Asbest seen in Figs. 2 and 4, the ring 22 isprovided with a horizontally disposed circumferential ange 25 havingrecessed lugs 26 formed integrally therewith and extending outwardlytherefrom in circu'mferentially spaced relationship to each other. Alsoformed integrally with the flange 25 and equally spaced from each otheraround the ring 22 are three supporting lugs 21 which rest upon theassociated lugs or shoulders 2| of the drum II to support the gratestructure thereon. Each of the lugs 21 is provided with an aperture 28(Fig. 4) of a, size corresponding to the space between adjacent lugs 26,the latter' together with the lugs 21, comprising supports for thefirepot structure to be hereinafter described.

Extending inwardly from the ring 22 and depending downwardly therefromare three bearing brackets 25 equally spaced from each other around thering and disposed in radial alignment with the supporting lugs 21. Asbest seen in Figs. 1 and 4, each of the bearing brackets 29 is providedin its upper surface with an elongated channel 3l for receivingball-bearing 32 and limiting the movement thereof circumferentially ofthe ring 22. The several ball-bearings 32 function to marginally supportthe main grate member 23 which rests thereon and is restrained againstupward movement relative thereto byy an inwardly extending nger 33(Figs. 2l and 4) formed integrally with the ring 22. The main gratemember 23 is thus free. to oscillatev horizontally relative. to thesupporting ring 22, through a limited distance.

The main grate 23 is provided with a central discharge aperture 34(Figs. 1 and 2). A pair of slide supporting brackets 35 formedintegrally with the grate member 23 are disposed below the plane of thelatter and extend inwardly from the side walls of the aperture 34. Theslide or dump plate 24 is slidably mounted upon these brackets 35 forhorizontal movement relative to the main grate member 23. A centrallydisposed slot 36 in the slide 24 normally engages a depending lug 31formed at the forward end of the grate member 23 to guide and limit suchhorizontal movement of the slide relative to the grate member. A pair offingers 38 formed integrally with the grate member 23 extend inwardlyfrom the side walls of the aperture 34 and are spaced rearwardly a shortdistance from the brackets 35. The slide 24 terminates at each side in arearwardly extending rail 39 cooperating with the brackets 35 andfingers 38 to maintain the slide in proper horizontal position until thesame is withdrawn forwardly for substantially its full distance oftravel to expose or completely open the central aperture 34 in the maingrate member 23, The length of the slot 36 in the Slide 24 is such as topermit continued forward movement of the slide relative to the gratemember 23 to carry the rear ends of the rails 39 forwardly past theupper restraining fingers 38. The slide 24 may then be pivoteddownwardly at its forward end on the brackets 35 to clear the lug 31 toenable removal of the slide from the main grate member 23. The slide ordump plate 24 is provided at its forward end with a suitable handle 4|(Fig. l) which is disposed in alignment with the aperture I inthe drumIl for ready access by opening of the ash-pit door I6. The handle 4Ithus functions as a manually engageable member for oscillating the maingrate member 23 and slide 24 relative to the supporting ring 22, and forreciprocating the slide 24 relative to the grate member 23. It will, ofcourse, be understood that both the main grate member 23 and slide ordump plate 24 are provided with suitable apertures, in addition to thosepreviously described, to enable the upward passage of air therethroughand the discharge into the ash-pit of ashes or the like accumulated onthe grate.

The repot provided in the instant heater is mounted upon the supportingring 22 of the grate structure and' comprises a plurality of identicalsections or staves indicated generally by reference numeral 42.Referring particularly to Fig. 3, it will be seen that each of the repotsections or staves 42 comprises a channel-shaped member having onerelatively straight side wall 43 and a curved side wall 44 extendingoutwardly beyond the wall 43 and terminating in a laterally extendingflange 45. ,The side Walls 43 and 44 are joined by a central rib orcurved portion 46, and the upper end of the channel member is closed bya sloping top wall 41. Each of the lrepot sections or staves 43 is alsoprovided with an inwardly disposed and downwardly extending shoulder 48at its lower end and an outwardly disposed and upwardly extending lug 49at its upper end formed integrally therewith. Adjacent the lower end ofthe sloping top wall 41, the central. portion 46 is provided with a pairof apertures 5| extending therethrough.

As previously described and as best illustrated in Figs. 1 and 2, theseveral sections or staves 42 comprising the firepot of the instantheater are mounted vertically in cooperating and interlockingrelationship with each other upon the supporting ring 22 of the gratestructure. In this operative position, the lower ends of the side walls43 and 44, the flange 45 and the central portion 45 of the severalsections 42 rest upon the circumferential flange 25 and the lugs 26 ofthe ring 22, with the shoulders 48 disposed in the apertures between thelugs 26 and the apertures 28 in the supporting lugs 21- The spacing ofthe lugs 25 and the apertures 23 is such that adjacent ones of the repotsections or staves 42 will be retained their lower ends with their dassociated side walls 43 and 44 in spaced relationship to each other asshown in Fig, l. The upper ends of the staves 42 are retained incontacting relationship with each other in a manner to be laterdescribed. The walls 43 and 44 of each adjacent pair of staves 4Z,together with the flange 45, form a vertically disposed primary airchannel 52 communicating with the ash-pit through the recess provided inthe associated lug 26 of the ring 22 and tapering or decreasing in widthupwardly. The outer surfaces of the several flanges 45 lie in the sainecircular plane by virtue of. each of the staves 42 being recessed alongthe outer edge of its side wall 43 for a distance equal to the thicknessof the flange 45, as best illustrated in Fig. 5. Each of the repotsections or staves 42 also defines a secondary air passage or channel 53(as best illustrated in Fig. 1) which communicates at its lower end withthe ash-pit and is closed at its upper end by the top wall 41. Each ofthe secondary air channels 53 communicates at its upper end with theinterior of the repot by means of the apertures 5|.

The lower ends -of the several repot sections or staves 42 are retainedagainst outward movement by a main heating drum 54 which rests at itslower end upon and is supported by the flange I9 of the ash-pit drum lI. The lower edge of a main top or dome-like cap member 55 slidablyengages the inner surface of the heating drum 54 and is provided with anoutwardly extending, circumferential flange 55 (Fig. 1) which rests uponthe upper edge of the heating drum 54 to support the top thereon. Aninner stave retaining cap member or auxiliary heat deflecting top 51rests at its lower edge upon the upper end walls 41 of the several repotsections or staves 42. The diameter of the lower edge of this auxiliarytop 51v is such as to provide just sufficient space between the same andthe lower marginal portion of the main top 55 to accommodate the upperlugs 49 on the staves 42. The

auxiliary top 51 is cut away at 58 (Fig. 1) to provide access to theinterior of the heater through a suitable feed opening 59 provided inthe main top 55. A closure member or feed door 6| which is hingedlysecured in any suitable manner to the main top 55 and normally closesthe feed opening 59. The auxiliary top 51 is also provided with anaperture 62 coinciding with a suitable flue outlet 63 formed integrallywith the main top 55.

With the above described construction, it will be seen that the repotsections or staves l2 are so retained in proper position by means of thesupporting ring 22, the heating drum 54 and the top members 55 and 5l asto eliminate the necessity of cementing the same together. At the sametime, limited relative movement between the staves 42 is permitted toaccommodate expansion and contraction thereof due to temperaturechanges, which may vary over a wide range. Since all of the firepotsections or staves 42 are identical, they are readily interchangeable,This greatly facilitates assembly of the instant heater, as well asreplacement of any desired section or sections thereof. The novel.construction of the firepot sections 42 also permits their use infirepots of different diameters.

As will be appreciated from the illustration of Fig. 1, the repot formedby the several sections 42 is of materially greater depth than has beenemployed heretofore, so that the fuel capacity of the heater is verygreatly increased, In use, the heater is charged through the feedopenings 59 and 58, and sufficient fuel is normally introduced tocompletely fill the flrepot. Primary air for combustion is suppliedthrough the grate structure in the usual manner and also throughout theentire outer area of the repot through the agency of the primary airchannels 52. At the same time, secondary air is supplied through thechannels 53 and apertures 5| to the upper part of the lrepot to insurecomplete combustion of the gases emanating from the fuel, and due to thepath of travel of the secondary air so supplied, it will be preheatedbefore delivery to the interior of the repot. As a result of theseseveral factors, the efficiency of the instant heater is very materiallyincreased.

Since all of the air supplied to the repot for combustion can come onlythrough the ash-pit, and since the supply of air therethrough isdirectly controllable by the adjustable draft plate I8, the rate ofcombustion of the fuel may be varied through an unusually wide range toenable any heating demand made upon the heater to be effectively met.For example, the draft plate I8 may be substantially closed to reducethe burning rate of the fuel to a point where the heat output isnegligible, but an even rate of combustion will be maintained even undersuch conditions. Whenever the demand occurs for an in creased output ofradiant heat, the draft plate IB may be opened to immediately supply agreater quantity of air for combustion. The tapered primary air channels52 allow the air to be uniformly distributed throughout the entire outerarea of the repot to insure uniform combustion at all points. And theratio between the primary air thus supplied and the secondary airsupplied at the upper end of the repot by the channels 53 and apertures5l will remain constant at all times to insure complete and perfectcombustion under all conditions of operation of the heater.

It is thought that the invention and many of its attendant advantageswill be understood from the foregoing description, and it will beapparent that various changes may be made in the form, construction andarrangement of the parts without departing from the spirit and scope ofthe invention or sacrificing all of its material advantages, the formhereinbefore described being merely a preferred embodiment thereof.

I claim:

l. A stove comprising a heating drum, an ashpit structure below thesame, a top closure for the drum, a grate structure above the ashpitproviding vertical marginal passages for air from the ashpit, and arebox lining in the drum above the grate comprising a plurality ofsimilar vertically arranged drum lining members provided with means atthe ends thereof co-acting with said grate and top closure structure forpreventing inward displacement of said members, said members each havingan inner wall and a pair of side walls defining a secondary air ductalong a vertical portion of the drum and a flange extending laterallyfrom one of said side walls and arranged to contact the drum and theother side wall of the next adjacent lining member and cooperating Withsaid last mentioned side wall to provide a primary air ductcommunicating along the inner face thereof with the rebox fordistributing air to the fuel in the rebox, said channels being open atthe lower ends and in direct communication through said air passages ofsaid grate with said ashpit for admitting air from the latter to saidprimary and secondary air channels.

2. A stove comprising a heating drum, an ash pit structure below thesame, a top closure for the drum, a grate structure above the ash pitproviding vertical air passages through the same, and a fire box liningin the drum comprising a plurality of similar vertically arrangedmembers above the grate and each comprising an inner vertical wall and apair of vertical side walls spacing the inner wall inwardly from thedrum and defining a vertical secondary air channel, one of said verticalwalls of each lining member having a longitudinal ange extendinglaterally from the respective wall and disposed between the drum surfaceand the longitudinal edge of the adjacent side wall of a contiguouslining member, said adjacent side walls of contiguous lining membershaving contacting portions at the upper ends and being spaced apartthroughout the balance of the length thereof to provide primary airchannels between said adjacent lining members that communicatethroughout the length thereof with the fire box, said inner walls ofsaid lining members having air ports adjacent the upper endscommunicating with said secondary air channels, said primary andsecondary air channels all communicating at the lower ends with airpassages in said grate structure whereby air from the ash pit can risethrough the primary air channels for distribution to a fuel bed on thegrate structure and can rise through the secondary air channels fordistribution through said air ports over the upper end of the fuel bed.

HENRY LANGE.

